refers to those who are supportive of the imperial rule, the peace and security of augustan and imperial governments. paul is saying those who are on the side of augustus will reach their end first. divine wrath will come upon them first. so paul is very clearly drawing here a remarkable antithesis between the rule of the emperor on the one hand, and the rule of god-- the kingdom of god-- on the other hand. >> narrator: apocalyptic expectations were fueling political turmoil throughout judea. jewish resistance to roman rule was growing daily. >> the situation in jerusalem was becoming increasingly tense through the mid-60s also. josephus tells us that there was growing tension over the last few governors of the countryside. he tells us that they were pretty abusive and... and corrupt administrators, robbing the people, as it were, for the... in order to line their own pockets. josephus also tells us that there's another source of growing tension in the country at this time, because there's an increasing number of bandit and rebel types coming out of the woodwork in the country. and so between growin